Echocardiography Evaluation of the Left Ventricular Mass Index (LVMI) and Geometrical Pattern in Pre-Eclampsia and Pregnancy- Induced Hypertension Patients

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the degree of hypertrophy and its geometrical patterns in hypertensive (HTN) pregnant women, with or without proteinuria.Material and Methods: Data from 88 pregnant women was analyzed., consecutively. Both clinical and echocardiographic data between normotensive and hypertensive women, with and without proteinuria, were compared.Results: Hypertensive women, with and without proteinuria, have a higher LV mass indexed by height than normotensive women (108.1±64.6 g/m vs. 76.5±24.8 g/m vs. 68.7±17.1 g/m, p-value=0.001).Conclusion: This research shows that women that suffer from pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension show significant subclinical remodelling of the left ventricle, encompassing structural and functional changes, compared to those with normotensive pregnant women.